Tag Archives: Confidence

While I don’t always agree with Mets GM Sandy Alderson, I liked what he did today when he expressed confidence in struggling shortstop Wilmer Flores.

The master of the deadpan obvious, Alderson said of Flores’ first week that, “It hasn’t been super,” noting three errors and a .158 batting average. Even so, Alderson didn’t put on notice the player he has frequently criticized.

“He’s made some good plays. He’s made some mistakes,” Alderson said. “He hasn’t hit yet, but that’s true of about six or seven of our guys. Wilmer is one of those guys that doesn’t let things bother him typically. As long as we don’t get to the point where we allow that to affect him then I think he’ll be fine.”

Confidence is a fragile thing in sports, and while Flores is having a bad start, we’re just a week into the season.

The New York Mets won the games pitched by Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey over the weekend, but their performances illustrated the gap between the two, and still the need for improvement of each.

Let’s look first at Wheeler, who is here to stay. He’s taken his lumps and will take some more. Wheeler’s problem remains command of all his pitches, beginning with the fastball that is the lead domino. Again, Wheeler had a high pitch count that didn’t translate getting deep into the game. He didn’t get out of the fifth Saturday.

When that happens, coupled with Jeremy Hefner’s mugging the previous night, it means a strain on the bullpen and the need for Harvey to work deep into his game Sunday.

Harvey is head-and-shoulders above Wheeler now, and the Mets did it right with Harvey in that they stopped him at seven innings. If they went six that leaves the bullpen working three, which will accomplish what the Mets want on cutting Harvey’s innings, but it increases that of the bullpen.

Harvey struck out ten, and here’s a case where being overpowering works against him. Strikeouts hike up the pitch count, and he could extend his mound time if he pitched more to contact. But, I could be too picky here, in that contact also increases the possibility of hits, and runs, and maybe losing.

Perhaps I am and others are expecting too much from Harvey based on the early returns. Damn, the guy is really good and I admit I am violating my own rule of just letting him pitch and enjoy what I am seeing.

However, what he’s already provided just fuels expectations, like no other Mets’ pitcher since Dwight Gooden.

Harvey’s early demeanor shows he can take it, but Wheeler remains not a concern, but a question. The feeling is the light will go on with him, too, but when?

Confidence can be fragile and you don’t want to see Wheeler labor as he has been. One hundred plus pitches should get Wheeler through seven innings, not just past the fourth.

However, the Mets chose to push the envelope with him, and times won’t always be easy. Barring something totally unforeseen, Wheeler isn’t going to see the minors again this year, or next.

It’s sink-or-swim, and so far he’s treading water.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos

The Mets have more than a few pitching questions heading into next year, and Mike Pelfrey is one of them. After a brilliant start, Pelfrey hit the skids in July, seemed to right himself, then was hit hard again. He’s coming off a good start and the Mets want him to finish on a roll to give him the confidence heading into the offseason.

With Johan Santana injured, unless the Mets make a stunning move in the offseason, Pelfrey will go to spring training as the No. 1 starter.

The Mets will be seeking their first four-game sweep of a team tonight at home against Pittsburgh.

Mike Pelfrey will be making his third start in an effort set a career mark in victories. Pelfrey (13-9, 3.96) had appeared to get back on track from July slump, but has lost his last two starts with an ERA of 10.38.

Game #142 vs. Phillies

“I just see a guy that kind of loses confidence and I see a guy that doesn’t have the presence on the mound,’’ manager Jerry Manuel said.

Manuel called Pelfrey an enigma after he followed a 9-1 by going 4-8.

Pelfrey has shown glimpses of dominance several times during his career, but then regressed to where he loses composure and concentration on the mound.

It’s odd, but despite his erratic performance, Pelfrey can still finish north of 15 victories which is a bench mark number for a starter.

Please check out the New Chat Room blog. To access, click on the logo to the left of this post.

The Mets announced this afternoon Jenrry Mejia will start Saturday’s game at Chicago. Not a surprise.

I hope the Mets give Mejia a lot of rope to see what he is capable of doing. Remember he spent a lot of the season in the bullpen, so his innings aren’t what they could be had he been in a rotation all year. Even so, I’m sure they will watch his pitch count.

By rope, I mean let him work his way out of jams and if he gets mauled early, let ‘s see how he reacts. I don’t want to hear how getting rocked will shake his confidence, because if he’s as good as the Mets think he’ll learn from it.

This is obviously the right thing to do, as the Mets finally have realized his future is as a starter. Five starts won’t be enough for him to develop another pitch, but it is a start. Even after five starts he might need more time in Triple A to develop, but that’s all right.

I thought they pushed the envelope with him in the first half of the season with how they handled him in the bullpen. There were glimpses where you could tell what all the fuss is about, and there were other times when you knew he wasn’t ready.

The season is lost, so it’s time to plan ahead. For every fifth day at least, when Mejia pitches, there will be meaningful games in September. Let him take his lumps and learn from it. Both he and the Mets will be better off.